A Rose By Any Other Name
by AnimeGirl 144
Summary: [Redo of my Momorose origin story][Originally called Fall of Pink Rose, Rise of Momorose] Pink Rose was an up-and-coming heroine, well known for her skills in battle and her efficiency. But when a mission goes wrong, things change for the girl, and she becomes her worst nightmare.
1. Die a Hero

**This is a redo/update of my previous Momorose-origin story **_Live Long Enough to Be the Villain_** (which is deleted to make place for this). After writing **_Vav Girl_**, I decided to come back and redo Momorose's start so that I can expand on the characters seen in both. This one is actually shorter than **_Vav Girl_**, but only because I didn't want to do the whole Brainiac Harvester Ship like I had in the aforementioned story.**

**Without further-ado, here's the start of Momorose's origin.**

* * *

Before Brainiac's invasion, she had been Rosalynn Charmaine, a young woman who had been interning in Gotham at Giordano Botanical Gardens. Gotham City was her home city, and despite the rampant crime that polluted the city, she still loved it. She was studying biology with a concentration in botany, and was head of the university's botany club. Everything in Rosalynn's life was going her way.

When Brainiac attacked, everything changed.

She had been one of the first humans to be rounded up by Brainiac's harvester ships, and had been among the first survivors to escape it. She hadn't been able to save the other two people who had been placed in the holding chambers with her, since they had been rounded up before her and reabsorbed by Brainiac's forces. Her cell door had opened before the robots came for her, and she made her way through the ship without help from anyone else. When she was rescued off the ship, she fell under Superman's teachings. She became the super heroine Pink Rose (named after the color she typically wore and a flower that was near and dear to her heart), having the power of Nature with a concentration in Flora and the ability to fly.

Pink Rose was a go-getter, and was always doing something for the League, even when she wasn't asked to. She was doing everything and anything for the League, trying to prove herself as a hero. She always worked solo, and was one of the few who could manage doing missions and taking on villains without help from anyone else. Her actions quickly made her known around the Watchtower (and amongst the villains), and she was among the first few to be inducted into the Justice League as an official member, an honor she wore with pride. Once again, everything was going Pink Rose's way.

Until it wasn't.

* * *

Pink Rose was at the Watchtower, looking through her inbox, checking to see if anyone had sent her anything she heard her communicator go off. Looking at it, she found Superman calling her, and immediately answered it.

"Pink Rose, I'm sending you, Hawkman and Hawkgirl to the old S.T.A.R. Labs. Apparently some villains broke in and are attempting to steal the chemicals inside the labs. Although this may sound like a job for the Science Police, they're busy handling Gorrilla Grodds' forces. Are you up for the task?" Superman asked her over the communicator.

"I'll do anything you need me to do," Pink Rose replied, exiting out of her account and heading for the Midtown teleporter. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"I'll inform Hawkman and Hawkgirl. They'll be waiting for you out front. Superman, out."

Pink Rose pocketed her communicator and flew for the teleporter, quickly stepping on it when she arrived. When she arrived at the Midtown Police Station, she went into Metropolis and flew for the old S.T.A.R. Labs. She found the hawk-themed duo hovering for her outside the labs. She hadn't worked with them before, but she'd met them before and they knew her by name.

"I'm glad you're here to help," Hawkman greeted. "Even though this may seem beneath us, the safety of this lab and the scientists inside are important to us, and no mission is too much for us."

"I understand," Pink Rose replied. "Honestly, I don't like the idea of some villains having their hands on these chemicals. And the scientists need our help."

"Then we're in agreement. Ready to knock some heads around?" Hawkgirl asked, her beloved mace resting against the back of her neck.

The young heroine gave a smile and all entered the labs using a special code provided to them (the lab had been on shut down, waiting for the heroes arrivals). Once inside, the three Justice League members flew through the corridors, seeking out the trapped scientists. The three League members came upon a large room with the chemical tanks hanging against the wall. Four of the villains (and a quick look around told the three that there were at least fifteen of them) were syphoning the chemicals while the S.T.A.R. Labs scientists were tied up together against the beams that head the building up.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl rushed towards the villains while Pink Rose rushed to the scientists' aid, untieing them and directing them towards the exit, keeping a close eye on her enemies to ensure they wouldn't fire at the scientists. Once she ensured the safety of the scientists, Pink Rose joined the battle, striking at a villain that had tried to sneak up on Hawkgirl. The battle between the heroes and the villains had been going well for the League members, until a powerful hit damaged one of the chemical containers. The container blew up, causing the other containers to blow up, and all of them filled the room with smoke and spilt their chemicals, which began to consume everything in its path. Hawkman and Hawkgirl immediately flew for the exit. Pink Rose had turned to follow, but a piece of debris fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Before she could push it off, another struck her in the head, knocking her out. Pink Rose laid on the floor of the laboratory while everyone else escaped; the villains dragging along their knocked out buddies and leaving her as the sole being in the labs. The fumes quickly surrounded her, and began restructuring her exobytes.

On the outside of the building, the two Thanagarians stood beside the scientists, waiting for Pink Rose to appear. After two minutes of waiting, Hawkgirl made for the entrance.

"I'm going back for her," she declared as she walked over to it.

"Wait, stop!" a female scientist cried, rushing in front of Hawkgirl and blocking the woman's advancement.

"Pink Rose is still in there!" Hawkgirl argued.

"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous. You could die if you step foot inside," the female scientist stated. "You told us that all of the containers blew, which means the whole lab is now a dangerous place to breathe. There's no way you could survive. You wouldn't even be able to make it four steps before collapsing from the fumes. We must remove the fumes and chemical liquid before we can mount a rescue."

"How soon can we begin the process?" Hawkman asked.

"An hour," another scientist answered.

"Find a way to speed up the process. We still need to grab the men who did this," Hawkman instructed.

Everyone nodded and rushed off to do their part, never noticing the person that had been sitting on the rooftop the entire time.

* * *

Lex Luthor hummed to himself, watching the group disperse and leaving him alone with the building. He had been the one orchestrating whole thing, although it didn't go according to plan. He had sent some low level villains to nab as much chemicals as possible so he could use it against the heroes, but the Justice League bested him once more. Now, however, it sounded like one of their own was caught.

He knew of Pink Rose; the Legion of Doom kept tabs on the new heroes, and that name was one Luthor knew all too well. He kept a special interest in the heroes Superman would mentor, because he wanted to make their lives as much as a living hell as he did for Superman. Seeing his opportunity to hurt Superman, Luthor activated a breathing mask to protect himself from the harmful fumes, and went inside, seeking out the young woman. He found her easily enough, considering she was the only living being in the building. He quickly moved the debris off of the young woman, and held her in his arms, checking her over. For being caught under some debris, she looked fine and functional. He pulled out a spare breathing mask and placed it over her face so she could begin breathing fresh oxygen. A few minutes later, she woke up, staring at him.

"Lu...Luther?" she croaked out, spitting his name and yet asking him at the same time.

"The very same," he responded. "I found you lying under the debris and moved them off for you. Do you require more assistance?"

"Go away," she snarled, her voice slowly returning to normal. "My team...they'll-"

"They've abandoned you," Luthor interrupted. "They left you here to die."

"What? My team?!" Pink demanded. "We're League members. We never leave anyone behind!"

"Then where are they?" Luthor challenged. "Do you see them here?"

Pink Rose looked around the room, but found no one but them two there. Her heart sunk at the realization. Luthor saw the look and smiled victoriously to himself. Her belief in her teammates was wavery, and now was the time for Luthor to strike if he had any chance of switching her to his side.

"My dear, let's continue this at the Hall of Doom," Luthor continued. "You're injured and you've been in here with these hazardous fumes. Let me take you to our medical wing and patch you up."

"Why are you being helpful Luthor?" Pink questioned him suspiciously. "You and I are enemies."

"Perhaps, but I am not cruel enough to leave a teammate behind like your's had," Luthor pointed out, seeing a flash of hurt cross her eyes. "My dear, I've heard of you, and I've heard of your potential. I know there's so much you can do, and the League saw this too. But unlike me, they were afraid of you."

"Afraid of me?" Pink Rose questioned. "Why?"

"Because you're powerful, and you have hidden potential. They fear your power, and planned this whole thing to bring you down," Luthor continued.

"You're a liar," she snarled.

"Am I? Where are they now? After you've been hurt and left behind, where are they to save you?" Luthor challenged.

Pink opened her mouth to snap at Luthor, but she paused and thought about it. Why hadn't anyone come back for her? Why was she still here? Why had Luthor found her instead? The League always promoted about how much of a family they were, that they would look after each other one after another, and yet where were they now? Why weren't they there? Why had they left her?

Throughout her inner thoughts, some computers that had fallen to the ground during the blast suddenly floated into the air. Luthor had noticed the movement, and watched with fascination as it moved. Pink Rose, who had noticed that he was no longer looking at him, looked at the computer as well, gasping when she watched the computer float towards her. Realizing that it was Pink Rose's doing, Luthor stared in surprise.

"Incredible," he muttered.

"This...this can't be happening! I control plants! Not technology!" Pink Rose cried. "This isn't right! This isn't my power!"

"But it is now, because of the League," Luthor inserted. "They knew your love for nature, and changed it to its exact opposite: technology."

Pink Rose felt tears roll down her face, and she would have been more ashamed of crying in front of the enemy, but she didn't find it in her heart to care. She knew Luthor could be lying to her. He was a manipulative man...but the pain of being abandoned and the loss of her powers made it impossible for her not to believe Luthor. Perhaps it was the League who had done this to her...

"You mentioned you'd help me...What must I do to receive your assistance?"

Luthor smirked at her question. He had finally broken her, and now she was his.

"All I want is your loyalty to me, and me alone," Luthor responded.

Pink Rose closed her eyes, understanding what it meant. She would no longer be a Justice League member, but a member of the Legion of Doom. A part of her told her to reject his offer, but the side of her that was in pain told her to accept the deal; to make the Justice League hurt as much as she was hurting at that moment.

"I will serve you and you alone," Pink promised him, looking at him square in the eye.

Luthor's smirk widened more. He had a top member of the new heroes, and now he could use her against Superman. Things were going to go his way.

"Welcome to the Legion of Doom, my dear," he said, and with that, the two were teleported out of the ruined lab.

* * *

Superman was awaiting the news on how the mission went. He hadn't heard anything from anyone for the past few hours, and he was growing nervous. He trusted all three (Hawkman and Hawkgirl were some of the first Justice League members, after all) heroes, but it was in his nature to worry about a mission that he wasn't a part of. He was about to call one of their communicators when Hawkman and Hawkgirl entered the Hall of Justice.

"How did the mission go?" he asked.

Neither Thanagarian spoke up, and Superman noticed the looks on their faces. They were grim looking, and that terrified Superman.

"What happened?" he prompted. It was one of the few times he wished desperately to have the power to read minds.

"We lost Pink Rose," Hawkgirl answered.

The news made Superman pause, believing he hadn't heard right. They had lost who?

"Wha...the mission was si-"

"The containers holding the chemicals burst, and she was trapped inside," Hawkman interrupted. "When we were finally able to reenter, she was nowhere in sight."

"Then she might have escaped," Superman argued.

Hawkgirl shook her head.

"The scientists informed us that there's no way she would have lasted," she answered. "We were already rushing. They believe the chemicals did something to...to break down her particles."

Superman stared at his friends sadly, realizing that a simple mission had turned deadly, killing one of their young members. Guilt immediately seized his heart, since it had been his idea to send her to the labs in the first place. While the three were in saddened silence over the loss of their young friend, said girl was recovering in the Hall of Doom's med bay, slowly plotting her revenge against the team she had once called her family.


	2. Become a Villain

**Welcome back everyone! Here's the final chapter to our Momorose tale. Like I mentioned, it was shorter than** _Vav Girl'_**s origin, but I'm hoping it gave some insight into the villainess before I use her again.**

* * *

Pink Rose had been in the Hall of Doom's medical wing for a week, under the watchful gaze of the LexCorp medical staff and Harley Quinn. The latter had irritated Pink the entire time she was confined to the bed, telling terrible jokes and talking in factually about the Joker (who she lovingly called "Mista J").

When Pink Rose was released from the medical wing, she was taken to the locker room, where she was given the opportunity to switch her clothing. She found her outfit, selected it, and watched as her outfit was changed into her newest outfit. Luthor must have sensed she had finished up because he entered the locker room, getting the first look at their newest recruit. He was not at all happy with what he saw.

"Pink?" he asked.

"Do you have a problem with my color?" Pink Rose shot back.

"You look like your former self," Luthor responded.

"Exactly," she replied, making sure her mouth mask was secure on the lower half of the face.

Luthor was a little stunned by her response. He hadn't expected her to be snarky. Glancing at him and seeing the stunned look, Pink Rose adjusted the communicator (a new one; the other had been destroyed for "safety reasons", as Luthor had called it) on her hips, making sure it was properly on.

"If I look like my former self, pink colored and all, then the heroes will be less likely to bother me like they would one of your other little buddies, giving me the opportunity to strike at them first," Pink Rose explained. "Oh, and don't call me Pink Rose anymore. She's dead and buried. I'm Momorose from now on."

"Understood," Luthor replied, silently pleased with her explanation. It was a tactic he hadn't thought about. "You put some thought into it, I see."

"My only companions were my thoughts and that clown twit," Momorose responded. "If I wasn't thinking of all the ways I could strangle her, I was thinking about my revenge on the Justice League. Looking like one of them was it."

"My dear, you're more devious than you've let on," Luthor stated proudly.

Momorose didn't respond to him. She remained silent, waiting for Luthor to tell her what to do next.

"C'mon," he said, motioning towards the door. "I'll give you the tour of the Hall."

"Do your friends know about this?" Momorose questioned, falling in line behind him. She was referring to Circe and Joker, the other two leaders for the evil faction.

"They don't care, and I don't require their permission," Luthor stated. "Besides, you're now a member of the Society. And as a member, you have to be given a tour so you'll know where everything is. Since you will be under my command, you will be in the Meta Wing the most."

"How surprising," Momo snarked.

Luthor sent her a glare over his shoulder, not at all happy with the tone she had used. She was mouthier than he had expected.

"Remember your place, child," he reminded.

Momo bit her lip, refraining from saying another thing. Luthor smirked, seeing her obey him like she was supposed to. Luthor began his tour in the wing dedicated to him: The Meta Wing.

"Here is the Meta Wing, where we try to break down the DNA of meta users everywhere," Luthor explained. "And this is where I'll leave you."

"Excuse me?" she demanded.

"You can't believe I'd give you a tour," Luthor replied. "I'm Lex Luthor; I don't give tours. That's what Calculator is for. He'll contact you shortly, and will guide you around the Hall of Doom. Have fun."

Momorose glared at his retreating back, annoyed that he was leaving her to do this alone, but she got over it quickly. She knew there was no reason to believe Luthor would be helpful in anything that didn't immediately benefit him. Almost a minute later, her communicator beeped to life. She activated it and found that it was Calculator calling her.

"So you're the new kid huh?" Calculator questioned. "From the Justice League?"

"Give me the tour," Momorose snapped, gritting her teeth at the name of her former affiliation.

"Touchy I see. You'll fit right in. Alright then, you're in the Meta Wing, which is for everyone mentoring under Luthor," Calculator responded. "You'll find all sorts of vendors selling armor to better prepare you for battle. Go and take a look."

Momorose walked towards the Vendors, aware that people were looking at her strangely because of her colored suits. She honestly didn't care if they liked her wearing pink or not, but it annoyed her to no end when they stared at her. A quick glance their way with her glowing pink eyes caused the onlookers to look away quickly. The armors were rather impressive, but when she got to the armor that looked like one of Luthor's armor, Bizarro growled at her.

"What is it?" she demanded from the failed Superman look-a-like.

"Me, Bizarro, no like you," Bizarro responded.

"So?" she demanded, leveling a glare with him.

"So, me Bizarro no like you," Bizarro snarled, floating closer to her.

Momorose wrinkled her nose in disgust, but she was smart enough to not physically touch him. Whie he was an ugly-version of Superman, he still retained Superman's power and strength, none of which Momorose had. So instead, she walked away, leaving the Meta Wing to go see another one. She really didn't want to go through the entire tour; if she really needed to find a place, she'd just look for it on her own.

"Don't let Bizarro get you down. He's just jealous that Luthor isn't paying attention to him," Calculator said over the Communicator.

"Lucky him," she responded under her breath.

She moved on to the Magic Wing, simply looking at the armor they were selling. She did the same with Tech Wing, making small talk with Calculator every once in a while. She decided that she liked Calculator, especially with his dry and sarcastic humor. His jokes were still as lame as Oracle's, though.

After the tour was done with, Momorose sat herself on a bench (why the Hall of Doom had it was a mystery to her) and scrolled through the map, memorizing it. More young villains were passing her by, giving her stares that were returned with her glares. None dared to say a thing to her face, but she knew they were talking about her to their friends, away from her hearing.

"Awh Momorose, my pink flower," Luthor's voice suddenly said, making Momorose curl her fingers angrily. "How was your tour?"

"Informative," she responded.

"Excellent, now, what do you say we raid the Watchtower?"

"We can't."

Luthor's smile fell into a frown. That wasn't the answer he had obviously wanted.

"Excuse me?" he questioned.

"Martian Manhunter and Batman are cautious, and they changed the security for it every day since the start of the war. They'd implement a coding into our communicator that would then line up with the Watchtower and let us in," she explained. "Since you destroyed my communicator, I don't have the security code."

"So you're saying you have no information on getting into the Watchtower?" he questioned, his frown deepening.

Momorose sneered at him, standing up from the bench. She didn't stand as tall as him, but she wasn't going to back down just because of height.

"I knew that was the reason you rescued me," she snarled. She turned on her heel, looking for a teleporter.

"Now wait right there, young lady!" Luthor commanded, glaring at her angrily. "I rescued you because the League abandoned you. Since you're a former League member, I assumed you wanted revenge against them and storming the Watchtower would be the best option. I was not using you like they were."

Momorose paused in her walk off, listening to him. She knew, deep in her mind, that she shouldn't trust him. He was a liar...but... He reached out and placed a palm on her shoulder. She didn't react to the action.

"Now calm down my dear. You're still touchy about what's happened to you," Luthor said, his voice lowered so the bystanders wouldn't hear him. "You are not being used, I want to help you. I want to destroy the League as much as you do, and I'm trying to help you, but I need you to help me too, understand?"

Momorose shut her eyes and nodded. She was still emotional about the Justice League's betrayal, and she'd have to get over it. Like a shamed child, she turned towards him, keeping her eyes lowered to the ground.

"I'm sorry," she responded. "You're correct. I'm still hurt by their betrayal, and I assumed you'd wanted to use my past as a League member against me."

"All is forgiven, so long as you never question me again," Luthor replied.

Momorose closed her eyes and nodded to him. Luthor smirked, internally laughing about how easily manipulated she could be.

"Now my dear, I think you need to rest. We have bases set up for villains like you, all you have to do is choose one," Luthor said. "Afterwards, I suggest you rest there. You'll start your missions tomorrow."

Momorose kept her eyes shut, not willing to look at him as she nodded once more. She did want to get back into action, but she was letting the emotions get the best of her. She would need to control that; she couldn't let them get the best of her. If she did, she would be weak, and being weak was not something she'd allow to happen.

Luthor studied her for a moment, curious to see if she'd react at all, but when she finally looked at him, her eyes looked duller, more withdrawn. He moved his hand from her shoulder to the blades on her back and guided her to a computer to begin finding her a base to reside in. She went along easily, and Luthor was pleased. He had been disappointed to learn that his plans for her had gone up in flames, but she was still useful to him, so he'd keep her around.

The quiet villainess allowed herself to be guided by her new mentor, accepting her fate as a villain whose only goal was to kill Superman and make the Justice League pay for their betrayal.

Pink Rose was dead, and from her ashes, Momorose rose. She'd make the world wish she'd never died.


End file.
